576 Tasting Notes
New must-have for me! Thanks Nichole for sharing some from your stash; I would be too greedy to part with any of this!
I got excited when I saw the pieces of what appeared to be candy canes, only to see they were actually little candy canes! So cute!
The tea smells AMAZING from the bag; in fact I left it open accidentally on my desk and a coworker assumed I had chocolate cake in the vicinity!
From the first sip to the last this tea is strong in mint. I must acquire a full-size bag of this for year round consumption! :)
Thanks to Meghann for letting me try this one! I am lovin’ it; agreed that it’s not so much like ginger ale soda but like ginger flavor. There are other notes there as well which I can’t accurately taste as I enjoyed this tea with my mid-morning snack of strawberry applesauce.
I let it steep for a good six minutes for a heartier flavor – and the ginger flavor was stronger.
OK I’m thinking there is a basil flavor there. Not 100% sure (due to strawberriness) but it tastes crisp like basil does. To me.
Not a fave from 52Teas, but still a decent selection. The ginger does pep me up!
I really enjoyed this sample from JoeCool (Nichole) – mainly because I normally cannot eat Key Lime Pie! I love the company name too. ;)
Immediately from the bag I can smell the deliciousness of key lime, a scent that sticks around after it is brewed. In added a Splenda to this one after the first sip wasn’t very flavorful. This is one of those black teas which is enhanced by sweetener. (TeaEqualsBliss I know you are thinking, “No way!”) But the key lime flavor was much more predominant after the sweetener. Or maybe it’s the power of suggestion. (TeaEqualsBliss nods her head, yes.)
That same flavor stays around long enough for me to finish the cup. And for the most part, I enjoyed it. But there is still an aftertaste that reminds me of A1 steak sauce. Stop laughing; I love A1 so I don’t mean it as an insult necessarily. Not quite sure what to make of this one. I’ll try it again in a little bit.
This smells like grape deliciousness! Immediately upon opening the sample from JoeCool (Nichole) I smelled fresh grapes and thought of Welsh’s grape juice. This isn’t a bad thing; I enjoy juice as much as the next kid-at-heart. And the leaves are so colorful and pretty.
I didn’t look up this tea before trying it; I didn’t want to get any ideas about what it SHOULD taste like.
First sip, there is a bit of a smoky flavor I wasn’t expecting. Second sip, it’s still there. It’s not as grape-y as I would have liked, but the smoky flavor is a bit like gunpowder, so I’m cool.
By the end of the cup, I’m left wanting more grape flavor and less smokiness. Bottom line: a decent tea but not one I’d go out of my way to try. It’s prettier to look at than drink, IMO.
Had to begin with a little extra caffeine today…
I love, love, love this tea – but am slightly biased as its creator. :) The smoky flavor is subtle, just like the taste from a campfire after roasting a marshmallow. I always liked to burn my marshmallows to a crisp so that the inside was extra gooey; this tea captures that childhood memory perfectly.
First off, this tea totally made me think of the incredibly hot – and talented – Ian Somerhalder from Vampire Diaries; vervaine is supposed to help protect humans from vampires. Not that I would ever want to encourage Ian to stay away from little ol’ me…
This tea is definitely tasty but a bit weak. I prefer strong, bold teas with lots of flavor and substance. This tea does have a nice citrusy flavor, calming and soothing. I brewed it up for about six minutes and the citrusy flavor stuck around rather than becoming bitter. I appreciated that. :)
It also had the power to put me to sleep! Granted I have been dealing with a migraine all day and took lots of meds for it, so maybe it was that, and the tea had more of a placebo effect but whatevs. The tea was delicious and soothing and sleep-inducing. Always appreciated at the end of a long day.
Bottom line: this is a decent tea to add to your collection, especially if you need help getting to sleep. It’s stress-relieving and relaxing. (Plus you’re safe from vampires. lol)
Thanks to the wonderful JoeCool (Nichole) for sending along a sample. I may get more once my other sleep-inducing teas run out.
Oh, and I noticed there seems to be some debate about how to spell vervaine/vervain/vervein. But basically it’s the offspring of verbana. Or in the same family of the herb at least. This is something I’ll look into for my blog – I’m fascinated by the mystery surrounding the term…
Preparation
Thank you awesome Meghann M for sending me this sample. I am in LOVE! This combo of blueberry and lemongrass with a green rooibos base is delightful and refreshing. I love the medley of citrus and blueberry – kind of like blueberry lemonade. :) OOH, gotta try this one iced! This is a definite must for blueberry fans of any age. And it’s a great way to enjoy green rooibos. I must acquire a full bag from Adagio asap. Thanks again for sharing, Meghann! And awesome blending job! :)
